Mizu no Inari
by aries0ram
Summary: Water's wish... Indeed. Inari is a girl born and chosen to take in the water's spirit. Belonging to a clan in the Hidden Mist, her parents left her in the Leaf village without any previous memories. Living there for 9 years, she meets someone... A boy of the Sands...


**Hello~ how are you? So recently i've started reading Naruto cause after 2 years of reading manga and all, I still haven't read Naruto! And Gaara became my absolute fav chara once I got to his past. Not even kidding, I practically melted. XD He's just too adorable. And as I haven't finished the manga, I don't know everything about the Naruto world yet so I apologize if any part of my story is wrong or confusing. Also I'm not sure if I'd be able to continue this story... might not have enough ideas... anyways! I do not any part of Naruto but I do own my chara Inari! Hope you like it ^^**

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_Drowning… drowning. The chilling water forced itself into her nose, mouth. She started shaking, tremors racking her body. "Take it in… accept the water…" a whispering voice from somewhere drifted by. And so she did. _

_ She won't live… Didn't the water blend into her spirit… No, shhh… Look... That mark between her shoulder blades… It worked!_

Inari woke up with a start. A hand flew to her wrist to stroke the smooth pearl bracelet. The familiar coolness calmed her down every time. She sighed; the nightmare plagued her for years, coming at random moments.

The moon was shining high in the sky and her adopted family lay asleep. Although they lived about 30 minutes away from the nearest source of natural water, it still beckoned to her. Inari sighed and slipped on a light coat to ward away the night air. "I'll be back in the morning, Mother, Father," she thought as she fled to the calling.

Konoha at night was so pleasant and quiet despite the deadly missions and ninjas going around at other times. The chuunin exams were also coming up soon but she wasn't participating because the Hokage himself said that she came from a different country.

"I'm sorry, but our Leaf village isn't the right place for you to develop your skills," he had said with a smile. "There will be someone else to train you properly."

Yeah yeah, Inari had heard it all. She was an inheritor of the water spirit of a mysterious clan in the Hidden Mist. Her real parents were unknown yet kind enough to leave her in safe hands- the Leaf village. But the funny thing was that she had no memory of her younger years; it was like her life started when she was 3. And that's also when the nightmare of taking in the water spirit started up.

She waded into the lake, the water going up to her knees. Her waist. Her shoulders. And then she dove in. She breathed as easily underwater as in air. The water felt silky and crisp, no longer the sharp, icy spikes they used to be. Inari drifted down to the bottom of the lake and tickled the little fish. They nibbled her fingers in return and she giggled, releasing dancing bubbles.

She raced up to chase the bubbles and burst out of the water with a joyful splash. Focusing her chakra, she made all the water droplets hang in the air. In the moonlight, they sparkled like jewels. Inari stood on the water easily and drew some water out of her dripping clothes.

Her blue hair gleamed down her back and her amethyst eyes sparkled. She looked like some beautiful creature from the mysterious depths of the sea.

An unmistakably human footstep sounded behind her. With a yelp of surprise, she lost her concentration and fell back into the water. Blushing fiercely, she rose slowly to the surface and ducked behind a rock.

A boy of her age with dark red hair and a mark on his forehead stood at the shore. He had darkly outlined green eyes and a huge gourd strapped to his back. He looked stunned. Well then again, no one expects to see a girl in the lake at night.

He was cute. The thought made Inari turn even redder. Her shy purple eyes met his green ones and they simply stared for a long moment.

Finally, he broke the gaze and turned away to walk away. Was it her imagination or was he blushing too?

"Wait!" The word burst out and she quickly swam to shore. Nervously she faced him in dripping clothes. "Umm… I'm sorry if I surprised you…" she trembled, keeping her eyes downcast and fingering her bracelet.

"It's okay."

Inari peeked at him through her wet lashes. "My name is Inari."

A flicker of something passed across his face. "I'm Gaara."

"You're not from here, are you?"

"No. I'm from the sand. I came here for the chuunin exams."

"Oh, good luck then!" She smiled and he definitely blushed. Was she doing something wrong? She dropped her eyes again and then took a step back. "Well, anyways, I should go. Nice to meet you, Gaara." With that, she turned around and started to walk away.

"Wait." He was the one who said it this time and in barely a whisper. Inari still heard it and looked back to find that he had taken a couple steps to follow her. Surrounded by moonlight, her heart skipped a beat. "How did you do that with the water?"

She drew some water out of her wet clothes and bounced it in front of him. "I have the water's spirit inside of me."

"Oh." His eyes traced the movement of the water drop and then went back to Inari. "Will you be at the chuunin exams?"

The drop melted into the ground. "No, I'm leaving for the Hidden Mist in a day."

He looked a little crestfallen. Gaara opened his mouth to speak then closed it.

Without thinking, she stepped forward and touched his forehead with a finger. Smiling shyly, she said, "I promise we'll meet again and I'll recognize you."

He gave a hint of a smile and brought her hand down. "… promise."

"Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, Inari."


End file.
